Kilkenomics

I'm sad to report that my father has passed away. Martin Halligan lived most of his life in the UK - but it's safe to say that his heart was always in Ireland. Dad was born in 1938 - and spent his early childhood on a farm between Swinford and Charlestown, Co Mayo. His father was Martin Halligan (of Cullane) and his mother was Bea Madden (of Puntabeg). During Dad's early life, Eamonn De Valera was Taoiseach of the Irish Free State - and rural areas across the West of Ireland were remote, traditional and Gaelic-speaking. And during the Second World War, of course, relations between the UK and what was to become the Republic of Ireland in 1949, were particularly fraught, given the Free State's self-declared neutrality. Like so many of his generation, Dad followed the well-trodden path from rural Ireland to the UK, arriving in London in his youth, where he quickly learned English and met countless relatives he didn't know he had. Missing Ireland, he spent some of his teenage years travelling around the English countryside with Irish travellers, working on funfairs and engaging in other seasonal work. He finally settled down, attending school in Willesden Green, where his inherent intelligence was soon apparent - and when it came to national service, he was recruited by the Royal Navy as a signaller. While anti-Irish prejudice was rife in late-50s/early-60s Britain, Dad often said he was "always treated fairly" in the Navy, and he retained many friendships from that time of his life. He loved being in the RN, in fact – which put him at odds with some of his relatives and boyhood friends. A talented athlete, with a devastating left-hook, Dad actually spent most of his national service as one of the Navy's top boxers, training hard and fighting against other services in the UK and around the world. But he loved being at sea – which is why, having completed his time in the RN, he then spent a number of happy years with the Merchant Navy. Dad had planned to settle in New Zealand and, having left the Merchant Navy, he lived there for a while, setting up a small fencing company. But then, on a visit back to London, he re-met Eve (whom he had known as a teenager). They were soon married - and remained in the UK. Dad trained as a plumber - but, having settled in London, he soon set up his own building firm. For many years, M.Halligan and Co Ltd. operated across North-West London, carrying out building works for local councils and private clients. Dad's company was at the heart of my childhood and of my family - employing not only my brother, but other relatives too, along with countless labourers, "brickies", "chippies", "sparks", painters and decorators, many of whom became close family friends. M.Halligan and Co was never huge. Much of my Dad's business life – hiring, organising, deal-making – was conducted in the pubs and working mens' clubs of Willesden, Kilburn and Harlesden (huge Irish areas back in the day). But he inspired loyalty among those who worked for him, his firm had a deserved reputation for good work and fair-dealing – and the company he built provided for his immediate family and plenty of other families along the way. M. Halligan and Co also implanted in me a life long interest in commerce and a keen awareness of the importance of small businesses and the impact of policymaking and the broader economic environment on business activity. Early in their marriage, my Mum and Dad endured the pain of losing my brother Sean, who died at the age of just 8 months. They moved from Willesden Green NW10 to Kingsbury NW9 in the mid-1960s - buying themselves a "Metroland" home of which they were both very proud. That's where my brother Martin (b.1965) and myself (b.1969) grew up. In 2010, Mum and Dad moved to Saffron Walden, in North Essex, where I had moved with my own young family a few years before. He loved living there, and made plenty of friends in the local pubs, quite a few of whom, like him, had deep Irish roots. A talented story-teller, Dad was at his happiest, I think, when spinning a yarn while having a drink with friends and family – recounting tales from rural Ireland, the building sites of mid-to-late 20th century London or one of his cherished fishing trips. He is survived by his devoted wife Eve, myself and my brother, his grandchildren Tashauna, Niall, Ailis, Maeve and Ned and his great-grandson Maddy - as well as his sister Veronica, his brother Steve and countless loving cousins. He will be missed enormously not just by family members, but countless others whose lives he touched with his kindness, charm, good humour and quick intelligence. I am proud of the life Martin Halligan lived – and will always be grateful for the loyalty and devotion he showed towards his family. Martin Thomas Halligan, 09.07.1938 - 02.11.2025 Rest in Peace "Go ndèanna Dia trocaire ar a anam geal ... may God have mercy on his bright soul"